What? PCTechBytes has been preaching DIY computer repair for a decade and now they are recommending we take our computers to the shop. Why?

Let’s face it, some people do not want to fix their own computers or do not have enough knowledge or experience to do it correctly. Major brand name computer manufacturers have been gradually forcing home users to become their own tech support over the years by reducing their own support and failing to provide users with a reliable way of reinstalling their Operating System. As a result, people suffer with computer issues they cannot fix and often wind up with a machine that essentially becomes unusable.

Why You Should Take Your Computer To The Shop

Here are some reasons you might want to consider boxing up your computer and taking it to a local computer repair shop.

Your Computer Has A Virus – While you think you might be able to get rid of the virus, can you be absolutely sure it is gone? More importantly, can you figure out how you became infected in order to prevent it from happening again?

Your Computer Is Slow – There are a plethora of reasons why a computer becomes slow. Failing drive, lack of maintenance, bit-rot, and viruses. Computer shops have tools and experience spotting these issues and fixing them in a hurry.

Your Hard Drive Has Died – Do you know how to replace your hard drive? Plugging the new drive in is easy, but do you have recovery disks? Do you have a way to reinstall the Operating System? Many casual computer users do not, unfortunately.

You Want To Upgrade Your RAM – Do you know the maximum amount of RAM your motherboard will see? Do you know what type and speed of memory to buy? Do you know which slots to install pairs of memory?

You Do Not Have The Right Tools – If you do not have a multimeter or a motherboard diagnostic card, it might be difficult to find the source of intermittent problems with a computer. In addition, computer shops have trusted software tools they use every day to locate problems with memory and hard drives, video cards and processors.

Your BIOS Is Out Of Date – If your BIOS needs to be updated and you do it incorrectly your computer is dead. Or if you do not even know what a BIOS is.

You have an Acer, Dell, HP – Each manufacturer has their own diagnostic codes, and sometimes their own proprietary parts. Computer shops are use to dealing with these manufacturers.

How To Find A Trustworthy Computer Repair Shop

The scariest part of having problems with a computer is knowing you might have to take the computer to a shop and risk getting ripped off or having your PC serviced by someone that lacks the experience necessary to do the job correctly. So how do you know where to take your computer? Online reviews? Absolutely not. Online reviews can be rigged by either the computer repair company or that company’s competitor. Here are some tips for finding a shop you can trust:

Ask your neighbors. Chances are they have had some work done at a local computer shop.

Find a brick and mortar shop that you can build a lasting relationship with.

Take your computer in for something simple and see if they charge you accordingly. Test driving a company before you have a real problem is a great way to gauge a business.

Look out for the up-sell. If a shop immediately says you need a new computer, be suspicious. Some places will be more interested in selling you one of their custom PCs rather than fixing your original problem.

In Conclusion

PCTechBytes is always here to help you with your DIY computer repair needs. We have a flourishing forums section that is free to join, a chat area and great computer repair tutorials. But don’t be embarrassed if you feel you need to take your PC into the shop. It is usually cheaper than buying a new computer, and if you are able to find a local computer repair shop that cares about you as a customer rather than trying to make a quick buck, you will be better off in the long term.

Dave has been providing free computer repair and tech support advice online since 2002. Join us on our forums and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for weekly tips and other helpful computer articles.
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